Locating fuel options and services

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods may provide for generating and using information about fuel options along a predetermined route. An optimized fuel location server may use information related to the fuel efficiency in a given vehicle and information related to the amount of fuel currently present in a fuel tank associated with the vehicle to determine where along the predetermined route fuel will be required. The optimized fuel location server may also determine where the vehicle should stop for fuel to navigate the route in the lowest cost way possible. The optimized fuel location server may further consider user preferences, such as preferred fuel providers, in determining which fuel option should be used. Finally, the optimized fuel location server may be configured to send notifications (e.g., real-time, etc.) to a user device when the user device is within the vicinity of one or more fuel options.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/683,449, filed on Nov. 21, 2012 and entitled“Locating Fuel Options and Services,” which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determininginformation about fuel options along a route.

BACKGROUND

Current mapping/directions apparatuses that provide information relatedto the fueling of motor vehicles provide basic functions such aslocating gas stations within a given zip code. Some systems also allowusers to determine local gas station prices by zip code. However,conventional systems lack the ability to generate more personalizedresults for a given user and/or scenario.

Therefore, there is a need for optimized systems and methods forgenerating personalized information about fuel options along a givenroute and for leveraging this information to make recommendations onrefueling.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure inorder to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of thedisclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure.It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of thedisclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The followingsummary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a simplifiedform as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

Aspects of the disclosure involve optimized systems and methods fordetermining information about fuel options along a given route, theprice of fuel at one or more fuel vendors, and/or locations along agiven route where fuel may be required.

In another aspect of the disclosure, an optimized fuel location servermay generate and transmit fuel-related information, includingnotifications about the times of the year when fuel may be cheaper ingeneral and/or at preferred vendors.

In another aspect, an optimized fuel location server may calculate themost cost-effective way of navigating a desired route and may generatedata needed to create an interactive map. The interactive map maydisplay starting, intermediate, and destination points along the routeand may display the location of fuel vendors that should be used toresult in the greatest cost savings when driving along the route. Theoptimized fuel location server may also transmit this data to one ormore user devices.

Further aspects of the disclosure may be provided in a computer-readablemedium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed,cause a computer, user terminal, or other apparatus to at least performone or more of the processes described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

All descriptions are exemplary and explanatory only and are not intendedto restrict the disclosure, as claimed. The accompanying drawings, whichare incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification,illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative operating environment in which variousaspects of the disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 shows a system of network devices and servers that may be used toimplement the processes and functions of certain aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a process flow for receiving information about vehiclesassociated with one or more users, in accordance with certain aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a process flow for generating information about fueloptions along a given route, in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a process flow for providing a user with informationrelated to an optimized route, in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a process flow detailing various factors that may beanalyzed by an optimized fuel location server prior to notifying a givenuser about one or more fuel options, in accordance with certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, methods,computer-readable media, and apparatuses are disclosed through whichadvanced recommendations related to fueling a motor vehicle may be made.In certain aspects, an optimized fuel location server may generateinformation related to what fuel options (e.g., gas stations, etc.)exist along a given route (e.g., for a road trip, from home to work,etc.) for the motor vehicle. By analyzing this information along withother information related to the amount of fuel in a fuel tankassociated with the motor vehicle, the optimized fuel location servermay further determine where along the route fuel may be required (e.g.,when an empty fuel tank is imminent).

In addition, the optimized fuel location server may determine the priceof fuel at a given fuel vendor and may generate notifications about thetimes of the year when fuel may be cheaper at preferred vendors. Furtherstill, the optimized fuel location server may calculate the mostcost-effective way of navigating a desired route by determining thelocation of the lowest cost fuel vendors along the route. This analysismay take into account any fuel vendors preferred by a given user, thelocation of a given fuel vendor in relation to the amount of fuel in afuel tank associated with a vehicle moving along the route, and anypreferences for how often a given user likes to refill a fuel tank(e.g., when the fuel tank is half-full, when the gas light comes on,etc.).

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an optimized fuel location server101 (e.g., a computer server) in communication system 100 that may beused according to an illustrative embodiment of the disclosure. Theserver 101 may have a processor 103 for controlling overall operation ofthe optimized fuel location server 101 and its associated components,including RAM 105, ROM 107, input/output module 109, and memory 115.

I/O 109 may include a microphone, keypad, touch screen, and/or stylusthrough which a user of optimized fuel location server 101 may provideinput, and may also include one or more of a speaker for providing audiooutput and a video display device for providing textual, audiovisual,and/or graphical output. Software may be stored within memory 115 toprovide instructions to processor 103 for enabling optimized fuellocation server 101 to perform various functions. For example, memory115 may store software used by the device 101, such as an operatingsystem 117, application programs 119, and an associated database 121.Processor 103 and its associated components may allow the device 101 torun a series of computer-readable instructions to determine which fueloptions exist along a given route. Processor 103 may also calculate themost cost-effective way of navigating a desired route using one or morefuel options along the route.

The optimized fuel location server 101 may operate in a networkedenvironment supporting connections to one or more remote computers, suchas terminals 141 and 151. The terminals 141 and 151 may be personalcomputers or servers that include many or all of the elements describedabove relative to the optimized fuel location server 101. Also, terminal141 and/or 151 may be data stores for storing data related to gasstations present along a given route. In yet other embodiments,terminals 141 and 151 may represent various external systems (e.g., anexternal mapping system, databases associated with various fuel vendors,etc.) that interface with optimized fuel location server 101 to provideenhanced fuel location services.

The network connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network(LAN) 125 and a wide area network (WAN) 129, but may also include othernetworks. When used in a LAN networking environment, the optimized fuellocation server 101 is connected to the LAN 125 through a networkinterface or adapter 123. When used in a WAN networking environment, theoptimized fuel location server 101 may include a modem 127 or othermeans for establishing communications over the WAN 129, such as theInternet 131. It will be appreciated that the network connections shownare illustrative and other means of establishing a communications linkbetween the computers may be used. The existence of any of variouswell-known protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like ispresumed.

Additionally, an application program 119 used by the optimized fuellocation server 101 according to an illustrative embodiment of thedisclosure may include computer executable instructions for invokingfunctionality related to determining the price of fuel at a given fuelvendor along a given route.

Optimized fuel location server 101 and/or terminals 141 or 151 may alsobe mobile terminals including various other components, such as abattery, speaker, camera, and antennas (not shown).

The disclosure is operational with numerous other general purpose orspecial purpose computing system environments or configurations.Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations that may be suitable for use with the disclosure include,but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-heldor laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems,set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and distributed computingenvironments that include any of the above systems or devices, and thelike.

The disclosure may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions being executed by a computer. Thedisclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, computer-executable instructions may be located in bothlocal and remote computer storage media including non-transitory memorystorage devices, such as a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), andread only memory (ROM).

Referring to FIG. 2, a system 200 for implementing methods according tothe present disclosure is shown. As illustrated, system 200 may includeone or more network devices 201. Devices 201 may be local or remote, andare connected by one or more communications links 202 to computernetwork 203 that is linked via communications links 205 to optimizedfuel location server 101. In certain embodiments, network devices 201may run different algorithms used by optimized fuel location server 101for determining the most cost-effective route from one location toanother or, in other embodiments, network devices 201 may be data storesand/or databases for storing details related to the amount of fuelstored in fuel tanks associated with various types of vehicles. In yetother embodiments, network devices 201 may represent user devicesconfigured to transmit fuel data from a user to optimized fuel locationserver 101. In system 200, optimized fuel location server 101 may be anysuitable server, processor, computer, or data processing device, orcombination of the same.

Computer network 203 may be any suitable computer network including theInternet, an intranet, a wide-area network (WAN), a local-area network(LAN), a wireless network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, aframe relay network, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, avirtual private network (VPN), or any combination of any of the same.Communications links 202 and 205 may be any communications linkssuitable for communicating between network devices 201 and optimizedfuel location server 101, such as network links, dial-up links, wirelesslinks, hard-wired links, etc.

The steps that follow in the Figures may be implemented by one or moreof the components in FIGS. 1 and 2 and/or other components, includingother computing devices.

Optimized fuel location server 101 may be managed by various types ofentities, including businesses, governmental agencies, nonprofitorganizations, etc. In one embodiment, optimized fuel location server101 may be managed by an insurance company seeking to provide enhancedfuel location services to its customers.

FIG. 3 shows a process flow for receiving information about vehiclesassociated with one or more users, in accordance with at least oneaspect of the present disclosure. The process 300 may start out at step301 where one or more users may attempt to access enhanced fuel locationservices associated with an optimized fuel location server 101. Usersmay access this information through a variety of computing devices,including a personal computer, mobile device, tablet, etc. and throughvarious communication platforms, including the Internet. For instance,using a desktop computer, users may access information previouslycreated and stored via a mobile device, and vice versa. Users may alsostore data (e.g., about a given vehicle) in a network storage (e.g.,database 201) that may be accessed by multiple types of user devices. Auser may enter login access credentials (e.g., username, password, etc.)via a user interface (e.g., a customized graphical user interface suchas a website depending on the type of device a user is using to accessoptimized fuel location server 101).

Then, in step 303, processor 103 of optimized fuel location server 101may process these credentials to authenticate the user. If the accesscredentials are not valid, optimized fuel location server 101 mayrequest the user to enter new login credentials in step 305. The processmay then move back to step 301 where optimized fuel location server 101may receive new access credentials from the user.

If the user provides valid access credentials in step 303, optimizedfuel location server 101 may retrieve an associated user profile in step307 and transmit information related to the user profile to the userdevice (e.g., for display on a display associated with the user device).The user profile may include various details about the user, including aname, address, age, and list of vehicles associated with the user. If auser does not have a user profile, optimized fuel location server 101may request that the user create a new profile. A newly created profilemay be associated with previously-created and/or newly-created accesscredentials. In addition, optimized fuel location server 101 may alsoallow for the creation of a profile/access credentials for a group ofusers, such as a household, family, friends circle, etc. In thisinstance, optimized fuel location server 101 may allow each member ofthe group to access and/or update profile information related to thegroup.

Once a user profile has been retrieved and/or created, optimized fuellocation server 101 may transmit information to allow the user device todisplay a list of one or more vehicles associated with the user profile.Optimized fuel location server 101 may also present the user withvarious details (e.g., make, model, year of manufacture, etc.)associated with each vehicle in the list. This information may have beenadded to the user profile at any given time, including at a time whenthe vehicle itself was initially associated with the user profile and/orat any given time thereafter. These vehicles may represent vehiclesowned and/or operated by the user. In one embodiment, where the entitymanaging optimized fuel location server 101 is an insurance company, thelist of vehicles associated with a given user profile may representvehicles that are insured by the insurance company. In this embodiment,optimized fuel location server 101 may also retrieve and transmitinformation that causes the user device to display an insurance policynumber of each insured vehicle associated with the user profile (e.g.,by cross-referencing the user profile information with associatedinsurance policies in a database maintained by the insurance company).

If the user profile is not associated with any vehicles, optimized fuellocation server 101 may request that the user add one or more vehiclesto the user profile. A user may then add one or more vehicles to a userprofile using a user interface associated with a user device.

Once there is at least one vehicle associated with the user profile, theprocess of FIG. 3 may move to step 309 where the user may select avehicle that should be analyzed by optimized fuel location server 101.When a user selects one of the vehicles associated with the userprofile, the process may move to step 311 where optimized fuel locationserver 101 may use vehicle details (e.g., make, model, year ofmanufacture) to determine the fuel efficiency (e.g., miles capable ofbeing driven per gallon of fuel, etc.) of the vehicle. Optimized fuellocation server 101 may also communicate with a user associated with thevehicle to determine and store (e.g., in an associated memory such asdatabase 201) the fuel efficiency and other information, includinginformation about the amount of fuel currently present in a fuel tank ofthe vehicle and information about driving patterns and/or vehiclestatistics (e.g., tire pressure, engine efficiency, etc.) that mayimpact how often a given user may need fuel.

In one aspect, optimized fuel location server 101 may direct the userdevice to capture and transmit data (e.g., a photo of a fuel pumpdisplay) that details the amount of fuel purchased by the user at themost recent fuel stop. Optimized fuel location server 101 may analyzethis data along with other received/calculated information related tothe fuel efficiency of the vehicle, the amount of fuel still in the fueltank at the most recent refueling stop, the odometer reading of thevehicle at the most recent refueling stop, and the current odometerreading of the vehicle to determine the amount of fuel currently in thevehicle.

For instance, assume that the fuel efficiency of a particular vehicle is20 miles per gallon of fuel and that the vehicle was most recentlyrefilled with 10 gallons of fuel (initially empty tank). Assume alsothat the odometer reading was 82,100 miles at the time at which thevehicle was most recently refueled and that the odometer reading iscurrently 82,200 miles. Optimized fuel location server 101 may determinethat the vehicle was driven 100 miles since the last refueling (82,200miles−82,100 miles=100 miles) and may then determine that the vehiclehas 5 gallons of fuel left in the fuel tank (10 gallons initiallypresent−(100 miles/20 miles per gallon)=5 gallons).

In some aspects, optimized fuel location server 101 may determine thefuel efficiency and/or the current fuel tank level of a given vehicle bycommunicating with a server (e.g., a server associated with a cardealer, another server maintained by the entity managing optimized fuellocation server 101, etc.) storing this information.

In other aspects, optimized fuel location server 101 may communicatewith a computing device (e.g., an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system,etc.) directly associated with a given vehicle (e.g., after a userassociated with the vehicle provides appropriate login credentials,etc.). In this aspect, optimized fuel location server 101 may notprovide a list of vehicles associated with a given user profile. Rather,optimized fuel location server 101 may communicate directly with the OBDsystem to determine details (e.g., make, model, year of manufacture,fuel tank size, fuel efficiency, current fuel tank level, etc.)associated with the vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a process flow for generating information about fueloptions along a given route, in accordance with at least one aspect ofthe present disclosure. The process 400 may start out at step 401 whereoptimized fuel location server 101 may receive, from a user device, arequest to choose a route. A route may be any path between two pointsand may include one or more intermediate stops.

Once a request to choose a route is received in step 401, optimized fuellocation server 101 may decide if the request pertains to a new routeand/or a preexisting route in step 403. Preexisting routes may representroutes that have been previously stored in a memory associated withoptimized fuel location server 101 (e.g., database 201). These routesmay be routes that have been previously used by a user associated withthe request and may have been saved in database 201 after initial use.Meanwhile, new routes may represent routes that have not been previouslysaved in database 201.

If the request pertains to a preexisting route, the process may movefrom step 403 to step 409 where optimized fuel location server 101 mayretrieve preexisting routes saved in database 201 and may transmitinformation to cause display of these routes on a display associatedwith the user device. The process may then move to step 411 whereoptimized fuel location server 101 may receive a selection of one of thesaved routes (e.g., when a user of the user device clicks on a desiredroute shown on a display associated with the user device) for furtherprocessing.

If the request pertains to a new route, the process may move from step403 to step 405 where optimized fuel location server 101 may receiveroute information. Route information may include information related toa starting point, any intermediate points along the route, and adestination point. Users may transmit route information to optimizedfuel location server 101 in a variety of ways, including via email, textmessaging, a telephone call, postal mail, etc. The information itselfmay include city and state information, street level information, and/orother types of information that is useful to unambiguously identifypoints along a given route. For instance, for a road trip from Chicagoto Atlanta, users may transmit city and state information to optimizedfuel location server 101. On the other hand, for a commute from home towork in the same city, users may transmit the street address of the homeand the street address of an office building to optimized fuel locationserver 101.

Once optimized fuel location server 101 receives route information instep 405, the process may move to step 407 where optimized fuel locationserver 101 may analyze the route information (e.g., using predictivelogic) and/or may communicate with one or more servers configured toexecute a mapping service to determine the location of starting points,destination points, and any intermediate points along the route. Thelocation of these points may refer to global positioning system (GPS)coordinates, latitude/longitude coordinates, etc. that may be used toprecisely locate each point. Once the location of the points along a newroute are determined, optimized fuel location server 101 may store theroute in an associated memory (e.g., database 201) for future use. Thisinformation may already be stored in a memory associated with optimizedfuel location server 101 for each of the preexisting routes.

Once optimized fuel location server 101 either receives a selection of asaved route in step 411 and/or analyzes route information to determinethe location of points along a route in step 407, optimized fuellocation server 101 may determine fuel options (e.g., gas stations,etc.) and associated fuel prices along the selected preexisting route ornew route in step 413. Optimized fuel location server 101 may make thisdetermination by communicating with other servers and/or databases(e.g., associated with various fuel vendors, third-party informationresources, etc.). The process may then move to step 415 where optimizedfuel location server 101 may also determine the lowest cost fuel optionsalong a selected preexisting route or new route by further analyzing theinformation received through communications with other servers and/ordatabases. In some aspects, optimized fuel location server 101 maydetermine the lowest cost option along a given route; in other aspects,optimized fuel location server 101 may determine which fuel optionsalong a route offer fuel for a price below a predetermined thresholdvalue. This information may be stored in a database (e.g., database 201)associated with optimized fuel location server 101.

Finally, in step 417, optimized fuel location server 101 may transmit(e.g., as notifications, etc.) information generated/determined in steps407, 411, 413, and 415 to a user device so that the user device can usethe information to plot a map that depicts the location of the startingpoint, any intermediate points, the destination point, the various fueloptions, and the lowest cost fuel options along the chosen route on adisplay associated with the user device. Once received, the informationmay also be stored in memory associated with the user device.

The information transmitted to the user device in step 417 may aid theuser in avoiding a situation where he/she runs out of fuel while drivingthe vehicle along the route. This information may also help the useravoid insurance claims (e.g., caused by problems associated with lack offuel, etc.) and may allow the user to have a personalized experience.

FIG. 5 shows a process flow for providing a user with informationrelated to an optimized route, in accordance with at least one aspect ofthe present disclosure. The process 500 shown in FIG. 5 may start out atstep 501 where optimized fuel location server 101 may analyzeinformation related to fuel efficiency and/or the amount of fuelcurrently present in a fuel tank associated with a given vehicle.Optimized fuel location server 101 may generate this information in avariety of ways, such as by the methodology described in FIG. 3. Theprocess may then move to step 503 where optimized fuel location server101 may analyze information related to a selected route, includinginformation related to starting, intermediate, and destinations points,information related to fuel options along the selected route, andinformation related to the price of fuel associated with the fueloptions. Optimized fuel location server 101 may determine thisinformation in a variety of ways, such as by the methodology describedin FIG. 4.

The process may then move to step 505 where optimized fuel locationserver 101 may compare the information analyzed in step 501 (e.g.,information related to fuel efficiency and/or amount of fuel currentlypresent in a fuel tank associated with a given vehicle) with theinformation analyzed in step 503 (e.g., information related to aselected route and fuel options and/or prices of fuel along the selectedroute) to determine where along the route fuel will be required if thevehicle analyzed in step 501 were to traverse the selected route. Oncethe points at which fuel will be required are determined, the processmay move to step 507 where optimized fuel location server 101 maydetermine an optimized, cost-effective way to navigate the route byusing the lowest cost fuel options along the selected route based onwhen the vehicle will need fuel.

Finally, in step 509, optimized fuel location server 101 may transmitinformation related to the optimized, cost-effective way to navigateroute to a user device associated with a user of the vehicle. The userdevice may then plot the received route (e.g., as an interactive mapwith each recommended fuel option and associated details flagged on themap) on an associated display.

For instance, assume that a 220 mile road trip is being planned from NewYork City to Washington, D.C., with no intermediate stops and assumethat there are gas stations every 10 miles along the route. Assume alsothat the car being used to traverse the route has a fuel efficiency of20 miles per gallon, that the car has a 10 gallon fuel tank, and thatthe tank initially has 1 gallon of fuel.

Optimized fuel location server 101 may analyze this information todetermine that a first fuel stop will be needed approximately 10 milesinto the trip and that a second fuel stop will be needed approximately200 miles into the trip. Optimized fuel location server 101 may alsodetermine that in the vicinity of 10 miles into the trip, there arethree gas stations—one that is 9.2 miles from the starting point, onethat is 11.8 miles from the starting point, and one that is 13.8 milesfrom the starting point. Given that the gas station at 13.8 miles fromthe starting point offers the lowest cost fuel, optimized fuel locationserver 101 may determine that the first refueling stop should occur at13.8 miles from the starting point. Optimized fuel location server 101may also determine that in the vicinity of 200 miles into the trip,there are two gas stations—one that is 195.8 miles from the startingpoint and another that is 202.9 miles from the starting point. Giventhat the gas station at 195.8 miles from the starting point offers thelowest cost fuel, optimized fuel location server 101 may determine thatthe second refueling stop should occur at 195.8 miles from the startingpoint. In this way, optimized fuel location server 101 may match thefueling needs of a vehicle with the fuel options along a given route toguide the vehicle to the most optimal, cost-effective route.

In other aspects, optimized fuel location server 101 may also notifyusers (e.g., via push notifications to a mobile device associated with agiven user) when they are within a predetermined distance of a givenfuel provider. Optimized fuel location server 101 may customize thenotification based on the type of mobile device to which thenotification is being sent. Optimized fuel location server 101 may alsodetermine that a given fuel provider is within a predetermined distanceof the vehicle by determining the location (e.g., GPS coordinates, etc.)of the vehicle and the fuel provider. This functionality may either bebuilt-in to the functionality of optimized fuel location server 101and/or optimized fuel location server 101 may communicate with anotherserver that provides this functionality.

The notification may include the location of one or more fuel providersand associated fuel prices at the fuel providers. For instance,optimized fuel location server 101 may notify users when they are within5 miles of a fuel provider. In addition, optimized fuel location server101 may apply other types of rules prior to notifying a given user abouta fuel option. For instance, optimized fuel location server 101 mayconsider whether or not a given fuel provider is a preferred provider ofthe user (e.g., as detailed in the associated user profile).

FIG. 6 shows a process flow detailing various factors that may beanalyzed by an optimized fuel location server 101 prior to notifying agiven user about one or more fuel options, in accordance with at leastone aspect of the present disclosure. The process 600 may start out atstep 601 where optimized fuel location server 101 may analyzeinformation related to the current location of a vehicle and thelocation of fuel (e.g., at gas stations, etc.) within a predetermineddistance of the vehicle. Alternatively, optimized fuel location server101 may analyze information related to those fuel options that arelocated in the vicinity of the vehicle and that offer fuel at a pricethat is less than a predetermined threshold price. Optimized fuellocation server 101 may consider sending a notification of fuel optionsand associated fuel prices when the fuel options are either locatedwithin a predetermined distance of the vehicle and/or when the currentprice of fuel at a given vendor in the vicinity is below a predeterminedthreshold.

The process may then move to step 603 where optimized fuel locationserver 101 may analyze information related to the past history of whenfuel at one or more fuel providers within a given area (e.g., in thevicinity of a given vehicle) is cheaper. For instance, optimized fuellocation server 101 may determine that a given gas station usually has asale on fuel during Labor Day weekend or that another gas stationconsistently offers cheaper fuel during the winter months. In this andother ways, optimized fuel location server 101 may include predictivelogic to make fuel recommendations based on the likelihood of an event(e.g., such as a sale). The possibility of cheaper fuel prices at one ormore fuel providers may trigger optimized fuel location server 101 tosend a notification including this information to one or more users inthe vicinity. Optimized fuel location server 101 may send thenotification to the users with enough lead time so that the users canact on the notification before an event such as a sale ends.

The process may then move to step 605 where optimized fuel locationserver 101 may analyze information related to the fueling preferences ofa user of the vehicle. The fueling preferences of a given user may beupdated dynamically (e.g., by activating/deactivating a radio button ona screen associated with the user profile and/or tracked via past userbehavior and inferred through business logic associated with processor103 of optimized fuel location server 101). For instance, the user mayprefer a predetermined fuel provider. In this case, optimized fuellocation server 101 may analyze the prices of fuel only at the preferredprovider and may consider sending the user a notification only when theprice of fuel at the preferred provider is below a predeterminedthreshold. Or, the user may prefer to fuel the vehicle when the fueltank is at a predetermine fuel level. For example, the user may preferto fuel the vehicle when the fuel tank is half-empty. In this scenario,optimized fuel location server 101 may analyze potential fuel providerslocated in the vicinity of the vehicle and may consider sending the usera notification about prices of fuel in the vicinity only when this fuellevel is reached.

The process may then move to step 607 where optimized fuel locationserver 101 may determine if a notification about one or more fueloptions should be sent to a given user device based on the informationanalyzed in steps 601, 603, and 605. In determining if a notificationshould be sent, optimized fuel location server 101 may weight one ormore types of information more heavily than other types of information.For instance, optimized fuel location server 101 may determine that anotification should be sent to a given user solely on the basis oflocation-based factors such as the current location of the vehicle inquestion and the location of one or more fuel options. In anotherexample, optimized fuel location server 101 may consider bothlocation-based factors and the preferences of the user in decidingwhether or not to send a notification.

If optimized fuel location server 101 determines that a notificationabout fuel options should be sent to a user device in step 607, theprocess may move to step 609 where optimized fuel location server 101may transmit information (e.g., as an email, SMS message, pushnotification, telephone call, etc.) regarding fuel options to a userdevice. The exact information transmitted to the user device may dependon the factors analyzed prior to transmitting the information. Forinstance, if only location-based factors were analyzed, optimized fuellocation server 101 may transmit all fuel options (and associatedinformation such as location and price) within a predetermined distanceof the vehicle in question. If, however, location-based factors andother factors, such as the fueling preferences of the user associatedwith the vehicle, were analyzed, optimized fuel location server 101 maytransmit a narrower selection of fuel options (and associatedinformation such as location and price) consistent with both of thesefactors.

It should be noted that even though FIG. 6 describes three main types ofinformation analyzed by optimized fuel location server 101, other typesof information may be analyzed prior to determining if a notificationshould be sent to a user device associated with a user. It should alsobe noted that optimized fuel location server 101 may analyze only aportion of the information in one or more of the steps shown in FIG. 6prior to sending a notification about fuel options to a user.

The foregoing descriptions of the disclosure have been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. They are not exhaustive and donot limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may beacquired from practicing of the disclosure. For example, the describedimplementation includes software but the present disclosure may beimplemented as a combination of hardware and software or in hardwarealone. Additionally, although aspects of the present disclosure aredescribed as being stored in memory, one skilled in the art willappreciate that these aspects can also be stored on other types ofcomputer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like harddisks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM; a carrier wave from the Internet orother propagation medium; or other forms of RAM or ROM.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a computingdevice and from an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system associated with avehicle, an amount of fuel detected in a fuel tank of the vehicle;receiving, at the computing device and from a user device, a route;determining, by a processor of the computing device, locations of aplurality of fuel options along the route; determining, by the processorof the computing device, prices of fuel at the plurality of fueloptions; determining, by the processor of the computing device andthrough communication of the computing device with the OBD systemassociated with the vehicle, a fuel efficiency of the vehicle;determining, by the processor of the computing device and based on thefuel efficiency of the vehicle and the amount of fuel detected in thefuel tank, a location along the route where fuel is expected to berequired; based on the location along the route where fuel is expectedto be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel options along theroute, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options,calculating, by the processor of the computing device, a lowest-cost wayof navigating the route, wherein calculating a lowest-cost way ofnavigating the route comprises: determining, based on the location alongthe route where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of theplurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at theplurality of fuel options, a fuel stop location as a location, of thelocations of the plurality of fuel options, having a lowest fuel cost ina vicinity of the location along the route where fuel is expected to berequired; and calculating, based on including the fuel stop location onthe route, a way of navigating the route; and transmitting, by thecomputing device and to the user device, the lowest-cost way ofnavigating the route, wherein transmitting the lowest-cost way ofnavigating the route comprises transmitting information that causes theuser device to display an interactive map with the route and the fuelstop location corresponding to the location along the route where fuelis expected to be required.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuelefficiency is stored in a database through communication of thecomputing device with the on-board diagnostic (OBD) system associatedwith the vehicle.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality offuel options comprise a plurality of gas stations that offer fuel for aprice below a predetermined threshold value.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: searching, by the processor of the computing deviceand based on a user profile, a database to identify the vehicle.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the route comprises a route that is selectedby a user of the vehicle and stored in a memory associated with thecomputing device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the routecomprises: receiving, by the computing device, a starting point and adestination point; and mapping, by the processor of the computingdevice, the route based on the starting point and the destination point.7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving, by thecomputing device, an intermediary point to travel to between thestarting point and the destination point, wherein the mapping is furtherbased on the intermediary point and comprises determining, by theprocessor of the computing device, latitude and longitude coordinates ofthe starting point, intermediary point, and the destination point. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein calculating, by the processor of thecomputing device, the lowest-cost way of navigating the route is furtherbased on fueling preferences of a user of the vehicle during the route.9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the processor of thecomputing device, the location along the route where fuel is expected tobe required is further based on identifying, by the processor of thecomputing device, an average fuel level at which a user of the vehiclerefuels the fuel tank.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining, by the processor of the computing device, navigationinformation in accordance with the lowest-cost way of navigating theroute; and transmitting, by the computing device, the navigationinformation to the user device, wherein the navigation informationcomprises a recommendation to navigate the vehicle past a first fueloption and to stop at a second fuel option, wherein the fuel stoplocation corresponds to the second fuel option, and wherein the firstfuel option and the second fuel option are different fuel options amongthe plurality of fuel options along the route.
 11. A system comprising:a network; a sensor configured to detect an amount of fuel in a fueltank of a vehicle; a mobile device associated with a driver of thevehicle; and a computing device, wherein the sensor, the mobile device,and the computing device are communicatively coupled through thenetwork, the computing device comprising hardware including a processorand a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executedby the processor, cause the computing device to: receive, from thesensor, the amount of fuel detected in the fuel tank of the vehicle;receive, from the mobile device, a route; determine locations of aplurality of fuel options along the route; determine prices of fuel atthe plurality of fuel options; determine a fuel efficiency of thevehicle; determine, based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and theamount of fuel detected in the fuel tank, a location along the routewhere fuel is expected to be required; based on the location along theroute where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of theplurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at theplurality of fuel options, calculate a lowest-cost way of navigating theroute, wherein the lowest-cost way of navigating the route is calculatedby: determining, based on the location along the route where fuel isexpected to be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel optionsalong the route, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fueloptions, a fuel stop location as a location, of the locations of theplurality of fuel options, having a lowest fuel cost in a vicinity ofthe location along the route where fuel is expected to be required; andcalculating, based on including the fuel stop location on the route, away of navigating the route; and transmitting, to the mobile device, thelowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein transmitting thelowest-cost way of navigating the route comprises transmittinginformation that causes the mobile device to display an interactive mapwith the route and the fuel stop location corresponding to the locationalong the route where fuel is expected to be required.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed bythe processor, cause the computing device to determine the fuel stoplocation further based on identifying a user preference of a driver ofthe vehicle.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user preferencecomprises an average fuel level in the fuel tank of the vehicle at whichthe driver prefers to stop for refueling.
 14. The system of claim 11,wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by theprocessor, cause the computing device to determine the fuel stoplocation further based on information regarding times at which one ormore sales are offered at the plurality of fuel options.
 15. Anon-transitory, computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable program instructions stored thereon that, whenexecuted by at least one processor, cause a computer system to:determine a route to be traveled by a vehicle by identifying a startingpoint, a destination point, and an intermediary point to travel tobetween the starting point and the destination point; obtain firstinformation related to locations of a plurality of fuel options alongthe route and prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options; obtainsecond information related to a fuel efficiency associated with thevehicle and an amount of fuel detected in a fuel tank of the vehicle;determine, based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and the amount offuel detected in the fuel tank, a plurality of locations along the routewhere fuel is expected to be required; based on the plurality oflocations along the route where fuel is expected to be required, thelocations of the plurality of fuel options along the route, and theprices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options, calculate a lowest-costway of navigating the route, wherein the lowest-cost way of navigatingthe route is calculated by: determining, based on the locations of theplurality of fuel options along the route and the prices of fuel at theplurality of fuel options and for each of the plurality of locationsalong the route where fuel is expected to be required, a fuel stoplocation, of the locations of the plurality of fuel options, having alowest fuel cost in a vicinity of that location along the route wherefuel is expected to be required; and calculating, based on including thefuel stop location on the route, a way of navigating the route; andtransmitting, to a user device, the lowest-cost way of navigating theroute, wherein transmitting the lowest-cost way of navigating the routecomprises transmitting information that causes the user device todisplay an interactive map with the route and the fuel stop locationcorresponding to the location along the route where fuel is expected tobe required.
 16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the computer-executable program instructions furthercause the processor to: calculate the lowest-cost way of navigating theroute further based on a preference of a driver of the vehicle to use aparticular one of the plurality of fuel options.